Liturgy

Community Liturgy

Next week’s Community Liturgy will be prepared by students in Year 8; families and friends of Year 8 students are especially welcome.

During this month of November, we join with the Universal Church in praying for our beloved dead.  There is a Remembrance book in the Chapel for writing the names of people we have known and loved who have died and we pray especially for those people at our Friday liturgies. 

REGULAR COMMUNITY LITURGY

• When: Fridays in Term Time
• Time: 8:00-8:30am
• Where: College Chapel

If you have any queries about Community Liturgy, please contact Mary-Anne Lumley:

Lumley.mary-anne@cewa.edu.au or 9383 0513.

GOOD NEWS for the Feast of Jesus Christ Universal King

John 18:33-37

The reflection for this Sunday’s Gospel is part of a longer homily by Jesuit priest, Fr Richard Leonard. Fr Richard Leonard SJ is the Director of the Australian Catholic Office for Film and Broadcasting, is a member of the Australian Catholic Media Council and is author of Preaching to the Converted, Paulist Press, New York, 2006.

It’s clear from [Sunday’s] Gospel, and the New Testament in general, that while Jesus frequently spoke of his Kingdom, is hailed like a king on Palm Sunday and is facetiously given the title of king by Pilate, his kingship is vastly different from those of Caesar, Herod and even David and the other Kings of Israel.

The earliest Christians seem to have understood this very well. We find very little writing or artistic representation of Jesus as a king before 324 AD. In that year Emperor Constantine becomes a catechumen and Christianity becomes the religion of the Roman Empire. After this time Jesus starts to appear wearing a crown and holding an orb. Mary is styled as the Queen of Heaven and begins to be pictured as such. This is all understandable as the previously persecuted Christian sect now emerges to become the most powerful unifying force in the Roman Empire. It was a sweet victory, but it meant that whatever was said of the Roman Emperor, even more must be true of Christ the Universal King and Lord.

As centuries passed and the Roman Empire passed away, the Church maintained many of its now long-standing royal prerogatives and language. Just as an example, to this day the Pope and some bishops live in places called palaces. They wear jewels and rings and have feudal coats of arms. Worse still by far, however, is the mentality and behaviour of a very few Bishops, who seem to think that the church is above the scrutiny of the faithful, and the law of the land.

The problem with all these historical accretions is that they directly contradict the way in which Jesus spoke about himself as a King. Almost all references to Jesus’ kingship occur within the passion narratives. Today’s extract from John’s gospel is among the most famous of them all. ‘You say I am a king. For this I was born, and for this I came into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone who belongs to the truth listens to my voice.’

There are not too many Kings or Queens today who would love their people so much that they would be prepared to die for them. We know from history that when the going gets tough many monarchs get going. But what we get in Jesus as King is one who did not compromise his humanity, who would not yield from his preaching and does not abandon us in our desolation. Jesus’ kingship is revealed in his utter fidelity to us – even to the end.

So let’s not be seduced by the power, pride, riches and greed which worldly rulers so crave. Let’s keep our own eyes on Christ our King who loved people more than things, who spoke the truth with love, and who died that we might live. And let’s not shrink from challenging the entire Church to do the same.

© Richard Leonard

Parish News

A number of our local parishes are planning events during Advent – the time of waiting leading up to Christmas.  Thursday 6 December St Thomas Apostle Claremont parish will host ‘Road to Bethlehem’ – a special annual celebration of scripture and carols.